ITU event

Agenda

Topic: Informal consultation of the ITU Secretary-General on the role of governments in the multistakeholder model of Internet governance

Brief Description

The multi-stakeholder model has been recognized at WSIS as the way forward for the global governance of the Internet. The WSIS outcome documents provided a set of framework principles for the multi-stakeholder model. In particular, a reference to the role of governments in the multi-stakeholder model can be found in many paragraphs of the Tunis Agenda (2005), including in Paragraph 35 which outlines the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder group. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of WSIS, the global debate continues on this topic at various international fora including the UN General Assembly, ITU, UNCTAD’s CSTD, IGF, ICANN, and several others.

Recently, many proposals were received on this topic and carefully reviewed by a multi-stakeholder group at ITU’s World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-13) held in May 2013, and its year-long preparatory process. These contributions can be found at: www.itu.int/wtpf. While some of the proposals did not achieve consensus at the Policy Forum, there was a clear recognition of the importance of continuing the discussion on the role of governments in various fora.

This event is part of the ITU Secretary-General’s series of informal consultations on the Internet-related public policy issues, including the role of governments in the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance. The essence of the discussions at the informal consultations will form part of the Secretary-General’s Information Document to the ITU Council Working Group on International internet-related Public Policy Issues (CWG-Internet) in November 2013.

Format

The consultations will be conducted in an open and informal Town Hall meeting format with a single moderator, no panelists and an open floor for comments. Participants from all stakeholder groups are encouraged to participate actively and present their views. Remote participation facility will be made available by the IGF Secretariat upon request.